Review: The Honourable Schoolboy
Bloated, bogged down in places, but still loved it, albeit less than Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy.
The opening scene with the journalists in Hong Kong was especially painful, evoking unpleasant flashbacks of Thady Boy Ballagh's court antics. But the strength of le Carré's character work kept me going, as did the crackling and atmospheric prose. Loved hopping around colonial Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The ending was not entirely surprising, but it was consistent with Westerby's emotional arc and still hit like a truck.
Taking a break before I get to Smiley's People.
We are back, baby. Trying out some short and breezy book reviews which don't include the synopsis—I'm not writing a column.